Hide and Seek
by sponsormusings
Summary: For Peeta Mellark, a simple game of Hide and Seek with his daughter becomes a reminder of what he had, what he lost and what he's found. And that family means everything. A submission for Prompts in Panem, March/April 2015. Day 6.


"_I wonder, I wonder, what will I see? I think that Peeta is hiding from me!"_

_Biting his lip to fight back the laugh that bubbled up in his throat, Peeta wrapped his arms around his legs, tried to snuggle his way back even deeper to the faded quilts and threadbare sheets on the bottom shelf of the utility closet. It was his first time hiding in here, even though he'd thought it was a great place millions of times. And so far, his dad still hadn't found him, even after a whole five minutes._

_Maybe, just maybe, he would finally win!_

* * *

"Daddy daddy daddy daddy daddddddddddddy!" A blur of black hair and long limbs flew across the room, wrapped itself around his legs, and Peeta laughed, reaching down and drawing his 6 year old into his arms.

"Well, that's a greeting and a half, Hols," he greeted, planting a big kiss on her cheek, dropping his satchel on the kitchen counter. "What's going on?"

Holly - loud and rambunctious and more sociable than either of her parents had ever been at her age - tried to jump up and down in his arms. "Mommy said you'd play hide and seek with me and Ashey!"

"Asher and I," he corrected, tugging on the end of one of her plaits, the end tied off with a red ribbon - her favourite colour this week. "And did she now? Asher's a little young, don't you think?"

Holly nodded. "Uh-huh, but she did! She said if we was good, and I did my spelling and was quiet while Ashey had his nap that you would."

He glanced up as Katniss walked into the room, their eighteen month old toddling along on his plump legs behind her. She looked exhausted, he realised, her eyes tired and her shoulders slightly slumped.

"Hey," he greeted, lowered Holly back to the ground. He crossed to her, sought her lips with his in a tender kiss. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Just...Asher was in a mood today." They both glanced down to the toddler who'd plonked down on the kitchen floor, and was batting at the end of Peeta's boot. "He's alright now, but a few hours ago, I swear they would have been able to hear him on the other side of town."

Peeta sighed, drew her into a hug. "Sorry. You should have called me at the bakery."

"So you could have done what, worry?" Katniss shook her head. "It's okay. You're home now, that's what matters - and they're yours to deal with for the next half an hour while I have a bath."

Peeta screwed his nose up. "You can't talk about our children and make me think about you naked in the same sentence, Katniss." He leant in, rested his lips against her ear. "So unfair."

"You'll get your time," she grinned, pushing lightly on his chest, then stepping back. "Hide and seek time guys!"

"YAYYYYYYY!"

* * *

_His breaths felt like they were the noisiest thing ever - like the machines in the mines , or like when Mrs Waterson yelled at Mr Waterson at the flower store, because she was reallllly noisy. _

_(And she said bad words too)._

_But he was worried - if his breaths were that noisy his dad would hear him and then he'd find him and then the game would be over. And that would be the worst because it would mean his mom was all that closer to coming home._

_He loved his dad way more than he loved his mom. But he wouldn't tell anyone that in case he got in trouble._

_Peeta grinned to himself and hoped that at least Aaran got found first this time. Then he could shut up for once about being the best._

* * *

"Twenty!"

Peeta uncovered his eyes - not that he really needed to, there was no one around to see him do otherwise - and glanced around the empty living room. Asher sat on his lap, squirming and ready to move.

"Alright buddy, let's go find your sister, huh?" he said quietly, before raising his voice again. "I wonder, I wonder, what will I see? I think that Holly is hiding from me!"

He paused, waited to see if he could hear Holly giggle, or any movement that would give away which one of her usual hiding spots she was in. There weren't many she chose from - it was normally either under Asher's cot, behind the sofa, or in the pile of toys in the corner of her room. But so far, the house was silent, save for the running of water upstairs.

Hitching Asher onto his hip, Peeta went through the lower floor of the house, searching behind doors, in cupboards, under sofas.

No luck.

He headed upstairs.

* * *

"_Found you, Ethen! Now it's only Peeta to go!"_

"_Awwww, Dad! This sucks!"_

_Inside his hiding place deep in the cupboard, excitement burst inside of Peeta - he'd now heard both his brothers be found, their grumbles echoing down the stairs back to the bakery. Which meant for the first time EVER, Peeta had won hide and seek. He couldn't WAIT to tell Delly at school tomorrow._

_Hugging the knowledge of his win closely to him, he wondered if Katniss Everdeen ever played hide and seek with her daddy._

* * *

"Dadadadadadada!"

He had, officially, lost all element of surprise. There was no way, no way at all, that he could try and sneak up on Holly in her hiding spot. Asher, with his little voice constantly on the go as he patted Peeta's cheeks enthusiastically, was not the most inconspicuous of hunting partners.

"Shhhhh, buddy," he whispered. "We gotta be sneaky to find your sister." Which, at this stage, he was a little worried about doing. Because after 20 minutes, he still hadn't found her. He'd looked upstairs, downstairs - in every little nook and cranny he could think of. He'd even looked in his and Katniss' wardrobe, which Holly knew was off limits.

Still no luck.

Trudging down the hallway, he went back into their bedroom, knocked tentatively on the door to their ensuite.

"Yeah?"

Katniss' voice was soft, and as he opened the door and peered in, he was happy to see some of the tension had already shifted from her face. She was covered up to the neck in bubbles - she'd fought bubble baths for so long, until she'd actually had one - the lights drawn down low.

"Sorry," Peeta apologised. "I just wanted to check Holly hadn't snuck in here."

"Can't find her?" Katniss fought to hold back her laugh.

"I can't," he admitted. "I've taught her too well."

Katniss smiled, rested her head back against the tiles. "Well, she's not in here. I guess she's learnt her Daddy's tricks for camouflage, huh?"

"I guess so," Peeta replied, then paused. Maybe...maybe he _had_ taught her too well. "Actually, I think I know where she might be, and I can't believe I didn't think of it before now." _How could he have not thought of it? It was so obvious - she was her father's daughter, after all._

"Well, you'd better go find her," Katniss said. "Before she falls asleep again like she did the first time she hid under Asher's cot."

"I will," Peeta assured her, closing the door behind him. He switched Asher to the other hip, moved back out into the hallway to the rarely used second utility closet at the end. His steps felt oddly heavy, his throat filling with a lump, his eyes blinking back tears as he reached the door. And as he opened it, crouched down, and saw Holly curled up on the bottom shelf, surrounded by blankets and a wide grin on her face, he felt himself transported back to a time that felt like an age ago.

Holly burst out, wrapped her arms around both him and Asher. "I win, daddy! You took _forever!_"

* * *

He slid into bed later that night, his heart both full and empty at the same time. Full of love for his children, and his wife. Empty for what he'd lost, who he no longer had with him.

"Are you okay?" Katniss drew back the covers, and slipped in beside him, flicking off the bedside lamp as she did so. Moonlight from outside played across the sheets, danced across the walls.

Peeta nodded, drew her close so that her back was snug against him and he could bury his face in her hair. "Yeah. Just...playing with the kids reminded me of the times I played hide and seek with my dad for some reason. I know I've played it with Holly other times, but it had never really made me think of playing it myself as a kid before today."

"You only played hide and seek with your dad?"

"And Aaran and Ethen. Mom would go once a month to have afternoon tea with some other ladies in town, and they'd drink tea and probably bitch about the ones who hadn't shown up that day. But we'd always make the most of it - bake cookies that would be just for us, or use some of the baking paper to draw on. Sometimes, though, he'd close the bakery early and we'd play hide and seek. I only ever won once - and I won by hiding at the bottom of the utility closet."

Katniss' hand drew across his stomach, drawing patterns across the skin. "It's a good memory to have, huh?"

"It is," he said quietly, closing his eyes. "A very good one."

* * *

"_Ahhhh, kiddo, you've gotten good at this - I can't believe I had to forfeit!" His dad wrapped an arm around his shoulders, a big smile on his face. "Nice hiding spot, son."_

"_Thanks dad." Peeta said happily. He couldn't believe his dad had to forfeit either!_

"_Just remember these places when you're grown up and a dad yourself," Nolan Mellark winked. "That way you'll be able to find them real quick."_

_Peeta grinned, wide and bright. "Yeah, I will! My kids will have no chance against me!"_

_His dad laughed and ruffled his hair, then led him back downstairs to the bakery so they could open up again._

_He liked winning, Peeta decided firmly, raising his hands above his head in victory when he saw his brothers. Maybe one day he'd win a game again._

* * *

_A/N - With thanks to an anon who sent me this prompt on tumblr :)_


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